Process for recovering organic acids

An organic acid can be recovered from a fermentation broth by clarifying the broth to remove at least a substantial portion of the impurities therein, producing a clarified feed; acidulating the clarified feed by adding a quantity of a mineral acid effective to lower the pH of the feed to between about 1.0 and about 4.5, producing an acidulated feed which is substantially saturated with respect to at least one electrolyte selected from the group consisting of MHSO4, M2SO4, M3PO4, M2HPO4, MH2PO4, and MNO3, where M is selected from the group consisting of Na, NH4, and K; extracting the acidulated feed with an extraction mixture which includes (a) water, (b) a mineral acid, in a quantity effective to maintain the pH of the feed between about 1.0 and about 4.5, and (c) an oxygenated solvent which has limited miscibility with water and the acidulated feed, the oxygenated solvent having from 4 to 12 carbon atoms and having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, ester, keto, ether, carbonyl, and amido, with the extraction producing a solvent extract and a first raffinate; and back extracting the solvent extract with an aqueous liquid, thereby producing an organic acid-rich aqueous extract and an organic acid-depleted solvent raffinate.